Hockey: Ducks get defenseman; Kings trade up for winger

The Ducks and Kings waited and waited and waited some more to make their first picks in Sunday's NHL draft.

When the time came, the Ducks used their first-round pick (26th overall) to take defenseman Shea Theodore from Seattle of the Western Hockey League. Theodore scored 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists) in 71 games last season for the Thunderbirds.

"Shea is a great skater and can really move the puck," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said of Theodore, who was the 11th-ranked North American skater going into the draft. "The way the game is played now, that's really important. You need players like that. We are really excited."

Theodore doesn't turn 18 until Aug. 3, so it's likely he'll return to Seattle to play next season rather than join the Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate at Norfolk, Va. Theodore said he looked forward to gaining strength and developing his game, particularly on the defensive end.

He also said he looked forward to meeting Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler and former player and current assistant coach Scott Niedermayer, who has mentored Fowler, a first-round pick in 2010. Fowler also lived in Niedermayer's Orange County home during his rookie season.

"I'm sure I can learn a lot from him," Theodore said of Niedermayer.

The Kings dealt their first three picks to the Edmonton Oilers to move up to No. 37 and select Russian left wing Valentin Zykov of Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the second round, more than 3 1/2 hours after the draft began a little past noon (PDT).

Edmonton received picks in the second (57th), third (88th) and fourth rounds (96th).

Zykov, the Canadian junior-level rookie of the year, was the top scorer among rookies in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season with 75 points and 40 goals in 67 games. Overall, he was 10th in the league in goals and was the team's second-leading scorer.

He told a reporter for the Kings' website he idolized Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings while growing up in Russia. His style is not like Datsyuk, however. He described himself as more of a power forward than a skater with a lot of smooth moves with the puck.